Additional/replacement oil cooler

[Kurt B]

I don't not have a trombone oil cooler or a radiator type; I have a "cage" type oil cooler. It's 15 bars or so. What is that called, and mainly, what should I get to replace it.

They have the radiator types they suggest you can kinda drop in anywhere and the B&B, and the Lempke.

What do need. My problem is, my car runs hot. Too hot. It runs great until it gets above the middle line, then I get spark knock. I want to keep this thing much cooler.

the 15 degrees offered by the "compact" doesn't seem near enough, but that's in addition to what I have now, and I'm wondering what i'd get by replacing this oil cooler I have now. What is this "bar" type oil cooler...Considering my car was made in 1983 and was the first of the Carreras for that run, maybe they didn't have the radiator type coolers in full swing but had dumped the trombone type.
All advice appreciated.

[Tyson Schmidt]

That's actually the cooler that Bruce Anderson recommends for U.S. driving. Supposedly it cools better than the others with our type of driving, since it doesn't require large amounts of airflow to be effective. It's better at radiating heat.

You could just try to get some more air to your cooler. An opening up front, or a fan. If you switch to the Carrera cooler, you'll need to do this anyway to get the most out of the switch.

Sounds like you probably have a very aggressive chip.

[Kurt B]

Okay, thanks tyson.

[Wayne 962]

In order of performance (lowest to highest)

- No Cooler
- Trombone Cooler
- 1984 Carrera Cooler w/o fan
- Brass Tube Cooler
- Late Carrera Cooler with fan

The brass tube cooler is a very good cooler - I would suspect that your heat problems are coming from somewhere else. Is the cooler hot to the touch? If not, your thermostat is probably stuck closed (not uncommon).

-Wayne

[SteveStromberg]

This is the Compact Cooler that mounts on the hose.This has a large Surface area.

[Early_S_Man]

Kurt,

It sounds like your heat problems are somewhere else besides the forward cooler ...

I suggest, in order of difficulty, checking the following ...

1. Pull alternator & fan assembly, and check for debris above cylinders and engine oil cooler. Shopvac with small nozzle can clean any leaves/grass/bugs/dirt, etc. out pretty well with engine still in the car. If cooler is severely dirty or clogged with leaves/bugs ... it will need to be removed from the engine to clean properly.

2. Loosen rear engine mounts and lower engine 3" - 6" in order to pull engine-mounted thermostat ... and test in pan of water or oil. Clean thermostat in B-12 Chemtool after testing to see if the opening point is changed. Replacement of the thermostat may be needed ... if not opening fully or at proper temperature ... it should be fully open by 190° F.

[Kurt B]

The lines going to the cooler are kinda hot just now. The cooler itself is not as hot as the lines going to it. It cools down to slightly warm by the time you get to the cooler. Car has been off for 10 minutes, and the temperature is at the first big line--that occurs just prior to half-way point of gauge. appears to be bottom 1/3 of gauge...

There is the thermostat exactly? I can look it up in bentley...but I suspect of the lines going to the cooler are hot, it's probably working.

Yes, they are still slightly smashed of course from the morons who put my car on lifts, but I used a pipe wrench to try to make them more round, still slightly smashed.

Order new oil lines Wayne, Warren, Tyson?

One last questions: What would I order here that I could hook up in series with the cage cooler and put up front? I have the AC evaporator removed, so I could put a cooler right there, but I'd like to have both coolers.
thanks.

[Tyson Schmidt]

Kurt, I think your problem is the auxiliary thermostat.
If your gauge reads almost half, you should not be able to touch the lines and auxiliary cooler, since they would be around 220-230 degrees F.

The T-stat is the little junction just ahead of the right rear wheel that has two oil lines going in from the back, and two going out of the front to the cooler. It's no fun to replace.

But, what you really need to do is use an infrared pyrometer to check how hot the engine reall is. It could all just be a gauge issue.

With the pyrometer, you could compare the reading at the sender itsself with the gauge to get an idea of what it's really indicating. Then you could compare the temp of the lines going into the aux t-stat with the temp of the lines from the t-stat to the cooler. It's the only way to properly diagnose the system.

[Chuck Moreland]

Kurt

Your car should not get that hot with regular street driving. Before you put on a new cooler, get everything working properly with your existing system.

Test the external cooling system. Sounds like you let it sit for 10 minutes before you put your hand on the cooler and lines. You can't do this because it will cool quickly. You need to drive it till hot, then leave it idling while you go feel the lines. As tyson says they should be hot not warm.

The dents in your lines could be a problem, but it does take significant oil line closure before you see the type of heat you describe. If you're closure is significant you'll need to replace those line. A minor dent or two is okay.

If the lines are okay, and the externall loop still isn't hot it is probably the ext thermostat.

You should also test the internal thermostat. Do this by getting the car hot and leave it idling while you put a jack under it. Now CAREFULLY put your hand on the interal oil cooler fins, from underneath. Again it should be hot, not warm. If it is not hot, the internal tstat should be removed and tested.

You should also feel air blowing through the internal cooler. A lack of air flow indicates the internal cooler fins are blocks by oil residue or debris.

After you determine all the above is working properly and the high heat remains, I'd be suspicious of your chip. Try swapping the stock chip back in.

[Kurt B]

Okay, the system is working the way it should--and in fact, it's not running any hotter than it ever has. When running, the lines and the cooler are quite hot, and driving this morning to work, it never got above the bottom third. But on those hot so cal days, I want my car to be as cool as possible cause it just plain runs better cool [yes the chip is the likely candidate]

So the B&B front oil cooler can be hooked up in series with the one I have now somehow. Just pop off the return hose in the cooler, hook it up (this is where I'm not sure with respect to hose to hose fittings) to the inlet of the B&B cooler line, then return line from the B&B goes back to the engine.
Anybody do this?